Interpal

Interpal is the working name for Palestinian Relief and Development Fund, a British charity founded in 1994 that describes itself as a non-political charity to alleviate problems faced by Palestinians, and focused solely on the provision of relief and development aid to the poor and needy Palestinians the world over, but primarily in the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Jordan.

The US government has alleged that Interpal is funding or supporting terrorism, and American citizens and permanent residents are prohibited from doing business with them because of a listing as a Specially Designated Nationals in 2003.

The UK Charity Commission has conducted three inquiries into Interpal and each inquiry has cleared it of wrongdoing and misuse of funds. In 2009, Interpal was ordered by the Charity Commission to end its links with Union of Good, which had been designated by the U.S. Treasury as “an organisation created by Hamas leadership to transfer funds to the terrorist organisation.” By 2012, the Commission reported that Interpal had complied with the order. The High Court in London in July 2010 found it libellous to state that Interpal supported Hamas.

Mission and values

Interpal was founded in the wake of the Oslo Accords. It states that its “passion for justice and the preservation of human dignity commits tto helping Palestinians in need”. Interpal works closely with their partners in Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan, with the aim of “moving the poor and needy in its areas of operation away from the culture of dependency and encourage a culture of self-sufficiency, and to promote peace and stability within the communities to which the beneficiaries belong”.

On their website, Interpal acknowledge that the volatile situation in the occupied territories means it is most effective for the organisation to transfer funds to local authorised partners and allow goods and supplies to be purchased within the area. In the past, however, this has led to accusations of Interpal funds reaching illegal and terrorist organisations. ('' See below'').

Work

Interpal works in the occupied Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank as well as the refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon. Previously it conducted the majority of its work through partner organisations based locally to "provide aid and revitalise the local economy at the same time". It now operates mainly through its local office in Gaza which deals with funding proposals and disburses funds directly to projects.

Interpal has four main areas of focus:

1) Emergency Humanitarian Aid: Interpal provide humanitarian assistance by delivering food, water, shelter, clothing and medical aid year round. They also run other schemes such as sponsorship of orphans and seasonal support during Ramadan and Qurbani periods of the Islamic year.

2) Medical Assistance: Support is provided to establish new health clinics and to improve existing facilities that are overstretched. Interpal also provides medical equipment and supplies to those in need.

3) Educational Support: Interpal dedicates significant attention and funds to keeping children and young adults in education as part of their commitment to educating and empowering individuals in Palestine. This involves financial assistance to schools and universities as well as support for the neediest of pupils.

4) Community Development: Interpal state that self-sufficiency is key to alleviating poverty and fostering community development; they support orphanages, welfare centres and the protection of sites of religious and cultural significance to aid the creation of a sustainable Palestinian community.

Fundraising

The charity organises several events throughout the year, including charity bazaars, university talks, auctions, and fundraising dinners. Other annual campaigns include Ramadan and Qurbani appeals.

Interpal has a number of successful fundraising channels in addition to its mail and online campaigns. Tens of thousands of people in the UK make a regular financial contribution towards its work and many thousands more sponsor orphans and needy children on a regular giving scheme. Funds are received from mosque and street collections and through live TV appeals. Interpal also receives funds for providing and organising volunteer stewards at events such as IslamExpo and Global Peace and Unity.

UK Charity Commission inquiries

Interpal has on three occasions, following allegations, been the subject of investigations by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. In all three investigations evidence was not found to prove alleged links between Interpal and organisations involved in terrorism.

1996 inquiry

In 1996 allegations were made against Interpal and its Trustees in the ''Sunday Telegraph''. A Charity Commission inquiry found no evidence that donations could not be accounted for or were made for political reasons. Subsequently, the ''Telegraph'' issued the following apology and retraction on 29 November 1997:

"On 26 May 1996, in an article entitled "London fatwa backs suicide bombers", we suggested that the Palestinian Relief and Development Fund (INTERPAL) was run by Hamas activists who encourage and support terrorist activities in Israel. We also reported claims which were being investigated by the Charity Commission that INTERPAL was used to raise money to fund the training of suicide bombers in Gaza and the West Bank.

We now accept that the Trustees of INTERPAL are not Hamas activists. We also accept that the Charity Commission's investigations found there to be no evidence of any pro-terrorist bias in the charity or of any channelling of its funds towards the training of suicide bombers. The Commission concluded that the charity is a "well run and committed organisation which carries out important work in a part of the world where there is great hardship and suffering" and that INTERPAL takes every possible step to ensure that its donations go only to charitable purposes, helping the poor and needy. We withdraw the allegations that appeared in our article and apologise to the Trustees of INTERPAL for the embarrassment caused."

2003 inquiry

On August 22, 2003 the United States Department of the Treasury published a list of six individuals and five charities it alleged to have links to Hamas and terrorism. The list included Interpal. It described all as "Specially Designated Global Terrorists." The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control put them all on a list of individuals and organisations with whom United States citizens and permanent residents are prohibited from doing business. A few weeks later, after a full investigation, the British Charity Commission cleared Interpal of any illegal activities, finding the U.S. Treasury did not provide evidence to support their allegations, and unfroze its assets.

After the Board of Deputies of British Jews repeated this allegation, it was sued by Interpal. The parties settled out of court, with the Board of Deputies making a public apology and posting the statement on its website for 28 days. The statement on their Web-site concluded:

..We referred to “terrorist organisations such as Hamas and Interpal”. We would like to make it clear that we should not have described Interpal in this way and we regret the upset and distress our item caused.

2006 to 2009 inquiry

In July 2006 the BBC
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